Category Archives: Music

In Corner Store, bassist and composer Kris Funn mingles blues and jazz with hip-hop and gospel, creating a rollicking sound that extends the lineage of American music into a funkier future.

Funn grew up in Baltimore before attending Howard University and settling in the D.C. area; since then he’s toured and recorded with jazz stars like Christian Scott, Tunde Adjuah and Kenny Garrett. His bluesy, big-boned bass playing is Corner Store’s foundation, and its lighter fluid. From there, the quartet’s sound twists upward like smoke, kindled by crackling drums and snaky electric guitar.

The Arts & Humanities Festival at St. Elizabeth’s East is a free festival showcasing the history, culture and community of Ward 8 in Washington, DC. The events feature an exciting scope of activities, live performances, art exhibits, readings and workshops that will be fun for the entire family!

Made possible through a grant awarded by the Deputy Mayor’s Office of Planning and Economic Development, the FREE festival series the festival will be held over two amazing days with a closing event on Sunday, August 18, 2013. The heart of the festival is located in the center of one of the District’s most prized historic campuses, St. Elizabeth’s East, in the 1100 block of Alabama Avenue SE. The East Campus will soon be the home of a new Gateway Pavilion currently under construction and slated to open in September 2013. The Pavilion will serve as a gateway to the St. Elizabeth’s East Innovation Hub and will usher in a new chapter of visitors to the campus, including local residents and the 3,700 U.S. Coast Guard employees set to start arriving on the nearby West Campus in August 2013. The Arts & Humanities Festival is the perfect platform to embrace the changes to the historic campus, while celebrating the District’s and Ward 8 community’s rich heritage, culture and creativity.

The Summer Celebration Weekend will highlight a wide array of local musicians, great performances and speakers including Faycez U Know, Rashida Tulani Jolley and Double Nickles Theatre on Saturday, August 17th. An amazing Sunday Praise Break will showcase area gospel talents on the afternoon of Sunday, August 18th. DC favorites Christylez Bacon and Tabi Bonney will close out the day with ultra-cool hip-hop performances!

Building on the successes of last fall’s first Art in the Alley event, the residents of Trinidad, will host a display of artwork in the alley behind the 1200 block of Morse Street NE. Works will include visual and performance art as well as music and libations. For more information click here.

Art in the Alley is located between the 1200 blocks of Florida Ave and Morse St NE

Artland Temporium Brookland (6:30pm to 9:30pm)

One of four DC Office of Planning and Artplace America grants awarded to improve commercial areas with dormant commercial storefronts, Artland promises to continue in the tradition of LUMEN8Anacostia with its own local “Brooklandian” flavor. Of note is the 12th Street Gallery, a pop space organized by Danceplace that will pay homage to Hispanic culture via a group show of mixed media visual art. For more information click here.

The 12th Street Gallery is located at 3500 12th Street NE

Phil Hutinet is the Editor-in-Chief of East City Art. You can get more information about East HaCity Art on Facebook or follow them on Twitter

Cherryblast, the annual closing party of the Cherry Blossom Festival, sponsored lovingly by Philippa Hughes and her Pink Line Project, was, unsurprisingly, a blast this past weekend in Anacostia. The art, the games, the shows, the people were all part of a new and exploratory DC. There were the usual suspects: aerial trapeze artists, a Bluebrain collaborative feature (pretty cool: in a four story elevator shaft), and an all-girl drum corps.

The not-so-usual suspects dropped in: The Floating Lab Collective, a group of artists who work to “expand the space of art into public space and to expand the discourse about contemporary art.” Cool right? As I walked into their van (I know, I know), the artist told me that there were paper bags of Mobile Memorials. Anyone could take one (become a ReDistributor), providing they put it somewhere public and “check in” its location on the website. Hopefully I’ll start seeing some of these objects around town!

The old DC Police evidence warehouse has effectively become Lightbox, an open and roomy space especially suited to video installations. Listening to acoustic guitar strummed by a hipster-chanteuse while standing next to the old Medication Room and looking out the broken glass windows at downtown DC was…surreal. And a ton of fun.

Not to be missed, Cherryblast IV will take place this Saturday at the Lightbox in Anacostia. Following close on the heels of the hugely successful Lumen8 Anacostia opening party last week, Cherryblast! will feature artists, musicians, audio-visual installations, and I can’t wait to find out what else. For a full list, click here.

As an official part of the Cherry Blossom Festival AND a Pink Line Project…project, it’s sure to be a thought out, delightful, and fully funded good time. The crowds have gotten bigger and the lines have gotten longer each year, so come early.

After work tomorrow, make sure to scurry over the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage for a free 6:00 performance by Birdlips. I can’t think of a better way to swing into a gorgeous, sunny weekend than with this duo’s soothing, beachy sound. Take a listen.

The Millennium Stage has free shows every day at 6:00. From gospel to folk to dance, it’s never a disappointment. And it’s always free!

Need more proof that DC has arrived? Look no further than The Hamilton, the latest offering from the the Clyde’s braintrust located at the corner of 14th and F in Northwest. Holding a capacity of 850 over three massive floors, it includes Washington’s newest music venue and it’s an insomniac — the whole place is open 24 hours a day. From the picture of Alexander Hamilton wearing Kanye sunglasses on the website’s main page, you immediately know you’re in for something different — this ain’t yo daddy’s restaurant.

First up is the main floor. The days of stuffy and stolid are over, folks – The Hamilton is totally the New Old Ebbitt Grill. And change is good. Combining elements of old and new, the familiar wood-paneled booths coexist in perfect syzygy with eclectic modern art and unusually bright walls. It makes for a very warm and convivial atmosphere. The upstairs bar is a bit off the beaten path and is markedly darker than its downstairs partner. I didn’t get a chance to check out the music venue but apparently it’s old supper-club style and the seating is first-come, first-serve. Ticket prices range from $15 for local acts to $25 and up for the bigger names. Eddie Money played about a month ago.

The menu offers Clyde’s popular brand of American-new-delicious as well as a sushi bar to cater to DC’s ever-widening palate. They offer over 20 different beers and wines by the glass as well as an extensive cocktail list featuring Washington’s newest small-batch liquor creations.

Bargain hunters beware – the place is a little pricey, but nothing out of the norm for a swanky downtown establishment. For good reason, The Hamilton is immensely popular right now, so if you’re looking to have a more intimate meal with normal conversation levels, I recommend Ceiba just a block away. Either that or plan a late dinner, like at 4am.